Heat
by Flyteh
Summary: What would have happened had Daphne's alarm not gone off that sweltering summer's day... Niles/Daphne
1. Suddenly This Summer

_A/N: Hey guys, it's me again. Was watching some old Frasier re-runs the other night which really reminded me how much I loved the show. BEST SITCOM EVER as far as I'm concerned. I can only hope that I can write as well as those guys can some day._

_Anyways, this story recounts one of my favourite episodes "Daphne hates Sherry" before taking on a mind of its own towards the end. It contains some frisky business towards the end (this chapter is fine) but if that kind of stuff bothers you, don't bother reading chapter two._

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I wish I owned Frasier (or more specifically Niles and Eddie) but unfortunately, I don't. A travesty, in my opinion._

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Daphne is a goddess. Notice I use a metaphor here, not a simile. That's because Daphne isn't _like _a goddess, she _is _one.

I've loved Daphne from the moment I first laid eyes on her. I know that sounds corny and, as a doctor, I shouldn't really believe in such romantic ideals, but it's true. I think about her all the time. From the moment I first wake up in the morning to the moment my eyes slip closed in sleep at night. I even dream about her. Sometimes, these dreams are innocent. Sometimes, they're not.

I thought I was having one of these not-so-innocent dreams the time she knocked on my door one sweltering summer's day. She explained that she and Sherry, dad's latest squeeze, had had an argument but I barely heard anything. All I could really focus on was her: the perspiration on her decollete, the way her tight white t-shirt clung to the stunning form of her. She was a devil in the most pleasing of shapes sent to tempt me. I actually passed out when she told me she wanted to spend the night.

I passed out again at the sight of her unbuttoning my shirt in an effort to cool me down. Pathetic, I know, but try to imagine it from my perspective. She was close. So close. The only time she had been closer was that time at the Snow Ball when we'd kissed. Now, her face was right there. Close enough for me to kiss it again. And her fingers were skimming across my chest light as a butterfly's wings as she undid my buttons. It was hardly surprising that I lost consciousness.

When I finally came to, Daphne was daubing my forehead with a damp cloth. It helped. But not much. I couldn't help but feel hot and bothered with Daphne around, and the weather really wasn't helping.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, that beautiful accent of hers causing my heart to skip a beat.

"Yes." I said, slowly rising into a sitting position. "I don't know what happened, my knees never buckled like that before." I paused for a moment as I sought a suitable explanation. "The wine and the heat must have made me dizzy."

She seemed to buy it. "Yes, it is rather steamy in here."

"I apologise for the lack of air conditioning. It seems in order to live in an exclusive landmark building, one must have to sweat through the odd heat wave like a tortured character in a Tennessee..." I trailed off as I turned to look at Daphne who had move off the fainting couch to stand in front of the fan. This would have been fine but she wasn't just standing there. She was airing herself, rather provocatively, letting the wind from the fan cool her flat stomach. My mouth dropped open and it was all I could do to finish. "Williams... play."

Again, Daphne didn't seem to notice my slip. She simply bent forward and pulled down the collar of her shirt so that the wind from the fan now blew down her front. I wasn't sure what was better. The view of her white brassiere if I were to move in front of her or my present view of her bent over rear.

"I can't imagine what you must be thinking," she said. "Me barging in, asking to stay the night..." She trailed off as she continued using the fan to cool herself.

"Well, gee, I'm just thinking so many things." Daphne taking that tight white t-shirt off. Daphne letting _me _take that tight white t-shirt off. Daphne turning around and letting me see her. Daphne turning around and letting me _kiss _her. I took a long sip of my wine. It didn't cool me down.

"Sherry just makes me so mad." Daphne's voice grew louder as she turned around and let the wind from the fan blow up her back. I got to my feet, ready to calm her, but she continued. "She's been giving my number out to strange men so they'd call and ask me out."

"How dare she?" I said, making it clear I was on her side. "Why would she do such a thing?"

"Because she says I'm too rigid."

"Nonsense!"

"And that I'm too picky."

"Poppycock!"

"And that I'd be much happier if I just went out and had sex with someone."

I felt myself freeze as those words left her mouth, something deliciously hot washing over me in a wave. My lips pressed together before opening slightly as I wracked my brain for an apt response. She hadn't just said what I thought she said, had she?

I stayed quiet for a moment and took a seat on the fainting couch next to Daphne who had already sat down. Images of her on my bed, in my arms, her delectable scent wrapped around me, flashed through my mind unbidden. I had to know more.

"Just to play devil's advocate," I began.

"Don't tell me you agree with her!"

"No, no. It's much too hot for hell to have frozen over."

"I mean, it's like caveman thinking! 'All Daphne needs is a quick roll in the hay!'"

"Yes, well..."

"'A little slap and tickle would solve all her problems!'"

"Yeah, um..."

"The worst part it is... I think she might be right."

I leant forward at that. She _definitely _didn't just say that.

But on she went. "Maybe part of why I got so mad at her is because she hit a nerve."

I found myself agreeing with her. Anything to keep the conversation going in it's current direction. "It's very possible."

She lay back on the couch as she continued thinking aloud, and I had to run my hand across my knee to keep from reaching out and touching her. "I mean, I have been keeping myself on the shelf lately. I'm feeling a little like the good China."

My next words were out before I could stop them. "Someone should be eating off you everyday." Hell, I didn't mean it like that. Okay, maybe I did. But I never meant to say it. She simply looked at me, open mouth pressing closed without response. I diverted my gaze. "Music?" I said to break the tension.

She let it slide. "Lovely."

I moved quickly to my feet and headed toward the stereo, cursing my stupidity all the while. _What's wrong with me? _I wondered. _I'm a psychiatrist. I'm smart enough to not make things awkward like that. I've ruined it now. _

Or so I thought. I had just started adjusting the settings on the stereo when Daphne started talking again. She'd seemed almost hesitant. "You know, I hope this doesn't sound terribly forward, but I'm _so _hot. I'd really love to get out of these sweaty clothes."

I froze for the second time in as many minutes as my brain struggled to separate what Daphne had said from what it wanted to hear. For once, the sentences were exactly the same. The CD disc tray popped out (rather imitating something else) just as I realised this. I hastily pushed it back in.

"Would it be alright if I took a cool bath?"

I looked up and saw that Daphne at gotten to her feet and was looking at me expectantly. I fought to keep my response steady. "Yes, of course. It's upstairs, third door on your left."

Daphne smiled and dashed up to the first-floor balcony. "Thank-you," she said.

"There are fresh towels in the linen closet – use the Indian cotton, it will be more gentle on your skin."

She smiled down at me and I couldn't help but draw a comparison between this and the scene in _Romeo and Juliet _where Juliet stares down at her lover from atop the balcony. Daphne was my Juliet, only infinitely more beautiful and perfect. She had to know this. She had to –

"Oh, doctor Crane, you're always thinking of me."

"You have no idea..." I said to myself as I watched her disappear further up the stairs.

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_A.N: Hehehe! Poor Niles. Daphne has NO idea just how much she torments him. How he lasted 7 long years of this is beyond me..._


	2. Night of the I Wanna

_A/N: And here's part-two of the tale. It recounts the scene "Night of the I Wanna" right up until the end where I pretend Daphne's little alarm DIDN'T go off. Though I'm glad Niles and Daphne didn't actually get jiggy with it at this point of the series (I really liked the way they actually came together on the balcony), I have always wondered how things might have turned out a little differently. _

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Nup, still don't own Frasier..._

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Once I heard the faucet turn on and the bath filling up, I snapped back into reality and set to work. Daphne was acting strange today, the best kind of strange, and it was so obvious there was no way I could blow it off as mere desperate fantasy. If I played my cards right, there was a chance she could be mine. It was time to pull out all the stops. It was time to blow her mind.

My first port of call was Baby. What I was attempting was impossible enough as it was without some stupid bird swooping in and ruining things. I grabbed the perch, bird and all, and carried it into an adjacent room where it would be out of the way. All the while I whispered bargains, prayers and threats. _Please let this happen. Please don't squawk. I'll let you chew on my hair as much as you want if you don't. I'll stuff you and feed you to Eddie if you do._

Once the bird was safely tucked away, I set about preparing a delicious platter of fruit for Daphne and I to share. I selected the best fruit I had, scouring my brain to remember those that possessed aphrodisiac properties. Apple, passionfruit, strawberry, pomegranate. I know some might consider that cheating a little, but lets be honest: a scrawny, stuffy psychiatrist like me needs all the help he can get.

Once the platter was ready, I filled an ice bucket and pulled out the finest bottle of champagne I had in my fridge. I'd been saving the bottle of Dom Perignon for a special occasion but I couldn't imagine an occasion more special than this. Tonight was potentially the turning point of Daphne and I. The point where Daphne would finally realise my feelings for her and hopefully reciprocate them.

My entire life had been leading up to this moment. Nothing would ever be more important.

With this thought in mind, I brought the champagne and ice bucket into the living room and placed them on the coffee table along with two glasses. I then hurried back for the fruit platter and placed it beside the ice bucket before turning my attention to the champagne once again. Picking it up by the neck, I hurried to open it just as Daphne appeared on the landing.

"Dr. Crane? Ooh, that fan feels good."

I looked up at her just in time to see her dressing gown, _my _dressing gown, blown open below the belt. Though she covered herself quickly, there was no mistaking the black lace of her underwear against the pale creaminess of her thighs. Her girlish laugh pealed out. And the champagne popped open in my hand. It overflowed, very near landing on the fruit. I quickly dumped the bottle in the ice bucket and apologised.

"Oh dear. Sorry about the fan," I said, leaping to my feet to adjust the contraption before such an 'unfortunate' incident could occur again.

"That's quite alright. Thanks for lending me your dressing gown. Don't you just love the feeling of silk on your skin?"

My mind flashed back to the time Daphne and I had been stuck in Maris' mansion during the storm. She'd been wearing a white night gown then. And I'd touched it, running my hands down her arms, feeling the silkiness of the material over the silkiness of her skin. "Yes," I said, wanting to do the same thing again but not quite daring. "There's nothing quite like it." A pause. "Passionfruit?"

I headed for the couch and she followed me, taking a piece of fruit off the platter I offered to her. "Thank-you." She sat on the couch and took a bite. "You know, if you keep treating me like this I'll never want to leave."

I laughed, but desperately hoped she was serious. "Champagne?"

She laughed. "Oh, you shouldn't have!"

I poured her a glass and handed it to her, reciting the lines I'd hastily assembled whilst cutting fruit in the kitchen. I prayed that she would catch on to my not-so-subtle undertones and I prayed that she would agree with them. "I love champagne, but it's a drink for two and I never have anyone to share it with."

For once, it seemed that she did understand where I was going with this and she gave me more than I would have ever expected. "Yes, there are things you miss when you're on your own: champagne, another person's touch – even if it's just holding hands."

I sighed at that and took a long sip of champagne. I didn't miss those things. I'd never experienced those things. Well, not the way she, with her wistful voice, described them. I did, however, want those things. I wanted them with her.

She patted my hand and I looked at it, and for a second, I thought she was going to hold it. She drew back, however, and continued speaking. "I guess you've been missing that sort of thing too since you and Mrs. Crane split up."

"Well actually, Maris never held hands. She had a slight webbing which made her self-conscious." I couldn't have her think I missed Maris. With Daphne, Maris was the furthest thing from my mind. It was as if she'd never existed.

"Well, I'm sure there are other intimacies you miss."

A small half-chuckle escaped my throat as I digested her words. Sex. Daphne was talking to me about sex. For the millionth time since she had walked through my door, I wondered where this evening would take us. Could it be? Could she really...

I pushed my lewd fantasies away for the moment to concentrate on answering her question. I was a little embarrassed at her frankness, to be honest. I only wished I could be so blunt. "Well, actually I still have a longing for..." She chuckled as I attempted to unstick the stubborn word from my tongue. "I still have a desire for, um, to have..."

My embarrassment got the better of me and I attempted to change the subject. "Fruit?" I said.

"Sex?" she said, at the same time, in an effort to complete my sentence.

"I mean, yeah, sex."

"I'd love some."

For a split second, I thought I'd won. I went to put the platter down.

Daphne laughed. "I mean fruit! Although sex is good too!"

At that moment, I honestly didn't know what to do, but Daphne continued chuckling.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane, I guess I just have sex on the mind tonight!"

She picked up a strawberry and dipped it into her champagne before bringing it to her mouth. She sucked it then and _sensuously _is the only word I can think of to describe it. An image of her doing that to certain parts of me rose to mind and I had to look away as I swallowed a grape.

"Well, that happens."

"And this weather doesn't help, does it?" She lay back on the couch and if it weren't for the fact she was still holding her wine and strawberry, I might have jumped on her then. Instead, I licked my fingers to sate my watering mouth as she continued speaking. "The heat gets inside you . . . it makes you aware of your body. It's like nature's way of letting you know you're still an animal."

I growled then, actually growled, as Daphne exhaled and drooped back in the couch. The sight of her, spread out almost as if she was offering herself to me, made my blood boil. I felt as if I were about to spontaneously combust.

"God, it's hot in here," I said, jumping to my feet and thrusting my hand into the ice box. Behind me, I heard Daphne sit up a little. Good, I didn't know how much longer I could look at her like that and remain a gentleman.

"It seems to be getting hotter every minute," she said.

"Ice?"

"Oh yes, I could use some right now."

I offered her a couple of pieces I had plucked from the ice box thinking that she would use them in her wine to chill it. She did no such thing. Rather, she leant back in the couch again and began rubbing the ice across her neck.

"Ohhh... Oh yes, that's better..."

Hearing her moan like that, I couldn't help but agree that 'yes', this was better. Her skin was so hot I could see the ice melting across her skin, the water trickling down the gap in her dressing gown, down between her breasts. I wanted to lick it off. I wanted her. I had never wanted anything so badly in my life.

"Where's your piece?" she asked, snapping me out of my trance.

I looked at my hand and saw that the ice had all but disappeared. "It melted," I said. "I'll get another."

I stuck my hand in the ice box and hunted around for some more ice as Daphne sat up again behind me. "You know," she said, "unless it cools down, I'm afraid we won't be getting much sleep tonight."

I pressed my lips together and looked at her. She knew what she was doing. She had to. But she had to give me more than that. I had to be sure.

I walked around the back of the sofa, slowly. "Shame we have just the one fan." I tapped the edge of the sofa with my fists, counting the beats until her reply.

"Oh, really? That is a shame. The two of us and just one fan..." A pause. "Well of course, you're the host, you take it."

"No, no, I couldn't sleep at all knowing you were in the next room all hot and..." I stared at the fan, watching the blades spin round and round, hypnotising me like her delicious scent. "...hot."

Though, standing directly behind her, I couldn't see her eyes, I could tell they were locked on the fan as well. Her reply seemed to take forever to come. I vaguely realised I was holding my breath.

"Well... I suppose, under the circumstances... we could both sleep in the same room."

I exhaled. My eyes slid closed. And my heart was pounding so loudly I'm surprised she couldn't hear it. She wanted to sleep in the same room as me. Possibly in the same bed as me. All I had to do was reach out and touch her, but I was still inexplicably afraid that she would reject me. And if that happened, well, I didn't think I would recover.

"It does... oscillate."

Her reply was slow. "What?"

"The fan."

I reached out and touched her then. It was barely anything at all, just the tips of my fingers ghosting along the delicate line of her neck. My skin felt like fire where the two of us connected. It threatened to overwhelm me. For a second, I thought this might almost be enough. Where if she were to push me away now, I might actually be happy. But she didn't push me away. Her reaction was quite the opposite. She leant into my touch. Reached up and pressed her hand to mine.

"Daphne..." My voice was barely a whisper.

Her's was too. "How about you come around here, Dr. Crane?"

I circled the couch in a daze and vaguely heard her place her wine glass back on the table. When I arrived before her, she had flung her legs up onto the cushions and had scooted across, leaving me space to sit beside her. I did so. It was then that she touched my hand, her thumb stroking small circles on my wrist. The sensation sent shudders through me. But not as many as her next action did.

She kissed me.

Never in my life had I dared to believe that Daphne would be the one to kiss me. In my dreams, it was always me kissing her, me touching her, me holding her, because I couldn't even imagine that that she might want the same thing. But here she was, pulling me down on top of her, thin fingers clutching the fabric of my shirt and threading through my hair. Her kisses tasted like passionfruit, and I moaned into her mouth because I honestly couldn't help it.

She giggled a bit at that and pulled back, giving my lip the gentlest of bites. Despite the fact that I felt I was swimming through something thick and mouth-watering, I managed to open my heavily lidded eyes to drink her in. She was gorgeous, stunning. More beautiful than ever if that were possible. Her hair was spread out across the cushions and her lips were red and puckered by the contact of our mouths. It was then that I knew that one kiss, one touch, would never be enough. She made me thirsty and if I could, I would gladly drink from her until there was nothing left.

"Daphne..." I reached out to touch her, hesitant despite the fact that she had done nothing to suggest that she would push me away. I stroked her cheek, brushed the hair from her eyes, tucked the loose tendrils behind her ears. Her eyes fluttered closed as I did so and the tiniest of smiles formed on her lips. The sight gave me courage. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

The smile broadened. "Give me a clue."

Why that little minx! I leaned forward to brush our lips together, once, twice, before growing bolder in my touches. I ran my hand down her cheek, down her neck, to her collar bone before dipping my hand beneath the silk. My touches were light, little more than feather like brushes against her skin. Her skin goose-pimpled in response, even more so when I followed the path of my hands with my lips and tongue before positioning my mouth against her ear. I sucked the lobe just gently, head spinning, nose buried in her hair. Then I spoke, the rasp in my voice unmistakably clear.

"You make me feel things. Things I've never felt before and will probably never feel with anyone but you. I want you. I've wanted you since the moment I first laid eyes on you that time in Frasier's apartment. I think about you all the time. I dream about you. But it's more than that..." I drew back, gently holding her shoulders in both hands as I looked her in the eyes. "It's much more than that." I swallowed, saying those three words made saying 'sex' seem as easy as reciting my favourite aria. "I love you, Daphne. Always have, always will."

Suddenly fearful I'd said too much and killed the moment, I drew back from Daphne and fisted the the material of my pants over both thighs. I was squeezing so hard my knuckles went white as I waited for her response, unable to look at her. This was it. She was going to reject me. She was going to get up, leave my apartment, leave my life and never come back. We were friends. Friends weren't supposed to say stuff like that. She was probably questioning everything I'd ever said to her, everything I'd ever done, and wondering if it was all just a ploy to get in her pants. It wasn't. I hoped she knew that.

Eventually, I garnered the courage to turn and look at her. She was crying. The sight shocked me. Sure, I'd seen Daphne cry before, but I had never been the one to cause it. I felt horrible. Just looking at her caused something inside of me to shatter, tearing great bloody strips off my heart.

It was then that she spoke, voice ragged with tears. "Oh, Dr. Crane," she said. "How come you never told me?"

I decided to be honest. Daphne would get only the truth from me from now on. "I wanted to, trust me. But the timing just never seemed right..."

She seemed a little put out by that. "And the timing's right now?"

"Well, I could never do anything like, well, _this _unless you knew the truth. When I was with Maris, you have no idea how often I thought of having an affair with you. But I couldn't. Not because I cared about Maris, but because I cared about you. You're worth more than that. So much more. I – " I went to say 'I love you' again but figured that might be overkill. She knew but it was obvious she didn't feel the same. I looked away and apologised instead. "I'm sorry," I said.

I went to get to my feet then, but she grabbed my arm before I could complete the movement. I turned to her, confused, but she gave me a look that demanded I listen. I couldn't help but obey. Despite the fact that I now knew that we could never be, I couldn't help but lose myself in the chocolate depths of her eyes.

"Dr. Crane," she said. "Do you really love me?"

"Daphne, words cannot not even begin to express how much I –"

She cut me off, pressing a finger to my lips. "Then show me."

For a long moment, I simply stared at her confused but then she smiled at me though her tears and I knew that I had not misheard. I leapt on her then, kissed her like I had always dreamed of kissing her, realising four years of pent up love, lust, passion, longing and desire. She kissed me right back and before long, our clothes were falling to the floor.

My first glimpse of her naked body beneath me is something I will never forget. It was perfect, even better than I had imagined. Her stomach was flat, her legs were long. Her breasts were small but the peaks were rosy and delightfully sensitive to my fingers and tongue. She tasted wonderful. Even better than she smelled. For the second time that evening, I wondered how I would survive without her for surely one taste, one night, would never be enough.

When I entered her, I thought I might literally die of pleasure. She was soft and warm and wet and not at all like Maris, not at all like anyone I had ever been with. Her body moving beneath mine, her legs wrapping around my waist, her fingers squeezing and seeking purchase on my back made every good feeling I had ever had prior to this moment seem utterly uneventful. She was a goddess. Notice I use a metaphor here, not a simile. That's because Daphne isn't _like _a goddess, she _is _one.

When I climaxed, she climaxed with me. It was intense. I saw colours, stars. It was as if I had died a little and she had bought me back to life. As her walls had squeezed around me, sending me over the edge, I recalled her calling out my name. The word she used was not 'Dr. Crane'. It was Niles. She came and she called me Niles!

She snuggled closer to me on the fainting couch after that, smooth skin sticky with sweat, breath coming in harsh pants. I must have painted much the same picture but it didn't even bother me that we might be marking the upholstery. All that mattered was that she was here. We both were here. And for the rest of my life I was never going to let her go.

I never did.

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_A/N: Well, what did you think of that? I hope you enjoyed it because I went out of my way to write this despite the fact I really should be working on my OWN manuscript rather than chasing useless smut bunnies like some sort of creative pervert. Anyways, now that this little tale is out on the page hopefully my head will be a lot clearer. _

_Please leave a review! You're comments keep me writing :)_


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